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Cable and satellite television providers are fighting back against the ballooning costs of sports programming with new evidence, gleaned from set-top boxes, that sports audiences outside of football and a few big events are relatively small when compared with the cost of the programming. DIRECTV and AT&T, for example, opted not to carry the regional sports network CSN Houston, citing low interest among viewers. Sports network executives argue that their programming is more valuable because, in an era of DVR and streaming, it is almost always watched live.

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A recent report by Needham analyst Laura Martin considers the idea of removing ESPN from cable bundles and concludes that doing so would harm cable providers, the network and other channels. Only about 20% of households would pay for a sports package including ESPN, robbing the network of potential viewers. Those that did ante up for ESPN would be more likely to drop spending on other entertainment packages. Overall, the industry could lose $13 billion in annual revenue under that scenario.

The price for broadcast commercials declined in the first quarter by 9%, according to data analyzed by TargetCast. Cable's ad prices were up slightly over 2012, with ESPN leading the way at $38,943 per 30-second spot.

Moves by Gannett and Tribune to add local TV stations in billion-dollar deals have brought renewed attention to retransmission-consent fees, which are growing in size and importance for top media companies. Cable providers say the rapid growth isn't sustainable, but broadcasters counter that they are playing catch-up with cable channels and have the right to be paid for their popular programming. "Local stations deserve to be fairly compensated for the value of our product," said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton.

The Justice Department released new guidelines last week clarifying that journalists must be notified when their records are collected by the department unless doing so presents a "clear and substantial threat" to an investigation. The guidelines also require the attorney general to sign search warrants that apply to members of the media. The policy changes come after the Associated Press learned the DOJ secretly collected its phone records during an investigation last year.

The electronic cigarette industry is expanding its advertising push into the world of sports entertainment, hoping to draw young male consumers. The brand e-Swisher is now the official e-cig of the World Series of Poker, meaning its signage will appear in the background when ESPN broadcasts poker events.